Roller skate wheel assembly



April 5, 1949. E, BAL AD 2,466,070

ROLLER SKATE WHEEL ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 19, 1946 I w i i) \NVENTOFK EDWARD BALSTAD ATTORNEYS April 5, 1949. E. BALSTAD ROLLER SKATE WHEEL ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 19, 1946 I BALSTAD \NVENTOR EDWARD I Ill/Z1474.

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention appertains to roller skates and more particularly to a novel wheel assembly for skates.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide a wheel assembly for skates so constructed that a full resilient cushion support is provided for the wheels, whereby the wheels are free, within certain limits, to swing relative to the foot plate and thereby facilitate the making of turns, etc.

Another salient object of the invention is to provide novel means for associating the wheels with independent stub shafts or axles carried by a supporting sleeve, the stub axles being mounted in a novel manner in independent bearings carried by the sleeve.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for associating the wheels with the stub axles, whereby the wheels can be quickly removed without disturbing the bearings.

A further important object of my invention is to provide novel means for connecting the supporting sleeves for the front and rear stub axles with the foot plate brackets, so that a single bolt or equivalent fastening elements can be used for securing each sleeve to its bracket.

A still further object of my invention is to provide novel means for mounting the cushion blocks for the sleeves in the foot plate brackets and for securing the same in place by the fastening elements used for connecting the sleeves with the brackets.

A still further important object of my invention is to provide a roller skate wheel assembly of the above character, which will be durable and efiicient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture, and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings; in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my improved skate attached to a shoe, a part of the skate being shown in section, the part in section being taken on the line I| of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of my skate.

Figure 3 is a rear elevational View of my skate attached to a shoe.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view through the skate showing one of the novel wheel assemblies, the section being taken substantially on the (c1. eat-11.28)

line 44 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional View throug the foot plate, the view being taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter S generally indicates a roller skate constructed in accordance with my invention. The

- skate S has been shown to be of the type which is adapted to be permanentlysecured to a shoe l0; but obviously the skate can be of the type that can be clamped or otherwise detachably secured to walking shoes.

The skate 5 includes a foot plate H, and this foot plate carries the front and rear brackets l2 and I3 for the front and rear wheel assemblies [4 and IS.

The brackets l2 and I3 are of a novel construction and can be detachably secured to the foot plate. However, I prefer to have the foot plate II and the brackets l2 and I3 formed integral and in the nature of a casting. The foot plate II can also have formed on its lower face a centrally disposed longitudinally extending rib l6. This rib also merges in with the brackets 12 and I3 and forms a reinforcement for the skate plate and the brackets. The brackets preferably incline inwardly and downwardly toward one another, and each include a substantially cylindrical socket I! for the reception of a resilient cushion block [8. Each block is preferably formed from rubber and protrudes slightly beyond the lower end of the socket. Each socket can be provided with an upper wall l9 having an axially disposed opening 20. In effect the wall 18 forms a stop flange. Each of the wheel assemblies l4 and [5 include a transversely extending sleeve 2| and the terminals of the sleeve receive short stub axles 22 and 23. The axles 22 and 23 can be in the nature of bolts and hence, each axle has its inner end provided with a head 24 and its outer end with threads 25. The sleeve carries suitable ball or roller bearings 26 for the stub axles and these bearings are separated by a spacer sleeve 21. Spacer rings 28 can also be provided and these rings can be secured to the sleeve by screws 29. It is to be understood, however, that the outer races of the bearings can be secured to the sleeve and that the inner races of the bearings can be secured to the stub axles. It is to be also noted that the axles terminate short of the transverse center of each sleeve, for a purpose, which will be later set forth. The outer ends of the stub axles receive the rollers 30 and the rollers are keyed to the axles for rotation therewith. Polygonal shaped washers 3| are slipped on to the axles and are fitted within sockets in the rollers. The Washers are held tight on the axles by nuts ,32 which are threaded on the threaded terminals 25 of the stub axles.

The sleeves 2| are fitted tight against the lower exposed ends of the resilient cushion blocks I8 and the sleeves are secured to their brackets by bolts 33. element is utilized for securing each sleeve to its bracket and each sleeve and spacer 2"! therein provided with a diametrically extending opening for the bolt. The bolt also passes-through an axial bore 34 in the cushion block. A resilient cushion washer or plug 35 is preferably placed on the upper end of each bolt and each washer has a part thereof snugly fitted within the openin of socket wall It}. The bolts are held in place by nuts 36. The brackets I 2 and |3.can be provvided with suitable openings 3.! to permit a tool to be inserted therein for facilitating the engaging of the nuts during the placing and the removing of the bolts on and from the skate.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that the'sleeves are supported by the cushion blocks and hence the sleeves and the rollers have brackets. The construction is such that the rollers or wheels, canbe easily removed without disturbing the bearings and in fact each wheel A single bolt or equivalent fastening 4 assembly can be quickly detached by the mere removing of one bolt.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but What I claim as new is:

A roller skate comprising a foot plate, depending brackets carried by the foot plate, each of said brackets having a socket, a cushion block fitted in each socket and protruding below its bracket, a transversely, extending sleeve fitted against each block, stub axles rotatably carried by each sleeve, the inner ends of said stub axles terminating short of the transverse center of the limited swinging movement with the bolt on the '30 sleeve, fastening elements extending diametrically through the sleeves between the inner ends of the stub axles and through said blocks and connected ,tvith said: brackets, and rollers on the outer ends 'of the axles.

EDWARD BALSTAD. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of th s a n UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,079,185 Schmidt May 4,1937 

